Cumulative effects of cardiovascular disease risk factors on quality of life.

Objectives: The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess the quality of life for adults who differed in level of risk for cardiovascular disease.

Methods: Subjects were 51 men and 80 women from southwestern Ohio between the ages of 20 and 86 years. Individuals level of risk was based on the culmination of four cardiovascular disease risk factors: hypertension (i.e., systolic BP>or=140 mmHg or diastolic BP>or= 90 mmHg), obesity (i.e., BMI>or=30), high cholesterol (i.e., total cholesterol>or=240 mg/dL), and presence/absence of smoking.

Results: Each risk factor was analyzed independently and cumulatively for effects on the SF-36 dimensions (i.e., Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Role-Emotional, Mental Health). The data suggested that quality of life impairment (indicated by lower scores on the SF-36 dimensions) increased as the number of cardiovascular disease risk factors an individual had increased.

Conclusions: Cardiovascular disease risk factors unknown to the participants had differential effects on the SF-36 dimensions, and quality of life decreased as the number of risk factors individuals had increased.